Sometimes, I really love my work here on Metal Temple.

But this is a very hard time for me: I was chosen to review "High Road", the album of a band I have deeply loved since I was very young, the North American AOR/Hard Rock quintet NIGHT RANGER. But let's do it.

Besides many can say their greatest times was on "Dawn Patrol" or "7 Wishes", don't forget that Jack Blades, Brad Gillis and Kelly Keagy are veteran masters in creating a heavy and tasteful Hard Rock album with some great choruses, elegant arrangements of keyboards and guitars, and creating a strong and heavy bass and drums rhythmic basis. "High Road" is another excellent album, having the same elements of the classic era and a handful of great songs again.

James Blades was the executive producer of "High Roads", having Anthony Focx on digital edition, engineering and mixing, Dave Donnelly on mastering, as well as Will Evankovich and Toby Wright were the engineers. But when we deal with NIGHT RANGER, the sound is always clean and crystalline, creating an atmosphere where their music can be heard in its totality. The artwork done by Stan-W Decker is very cool, getting the old feeling from "Dawn Patrol" times.

All the songs are excellent, no doubt about that. The better moments of the album are "High Road" (an excellent opening theme, with the great classic elements of their music, like great guitar riffs and vocals, a wonderful chorus and keyboards), the Hard Rocking fist in your face "Knock Knock Never Stop" (wonderful chorus, with great tempos from drums and the guitars almost talk to us), the slow wild Rock "Rollin' On" (where the guitars and keyboards show their true power), the savage "X Generation", the beautiful ballad "Only For You Only" (this song will be a great hit, mind you all, with a strong and tender guitar solo), and the powerful "St. Bartholomew").

Hard Rock and AOR aren't dead, and to have NIGHT RANGER doing such a fine work is a good signal for the future.

I'll get a deluxe copy as soon as possible!